Most people think of Paul’s journeys as a Greece story. Athens, Corinth, Philippi. But Paul was born in Turkey, he was sent out from Turkey, and three of his missionary journeys ran through Asia Minor before he ever set foot in Europe. I have led plenty of Pauline trips, and the ones that start in Turkey give a group something the Greece-only trips cannot: the beginning. You stand in Tarsus, where Paul was born, and in Antioch, where the disciples were first called Christians, and the whole missionary story suddenly has a starting line.
This is a focused week. Seven days, no filler, built to trace Paul across the land where his work actually began. It moves at a real pace, so I have grouped the geography to keep the driving honest. Here is how it runs.
Day 1: Arrival in Adana, Then Tarsus
Your group flies into Adana in southern Turkey, the closest airport to where this story starts. After settling in, we head to Tarsus, Paul’s birthplace. He calls himself “a citizen of no mean city” in Acts, and Tarsus was exactly that, a wealthy center of trade and learning.
The site is modest by Ephesus standards. There is an ancient road excavated below street level, a well traditionally tied to Paul’s family home, and the old city gate. I tell groups not to expect grandeur here. The meaning is in the fact of the place. This is where the man who wrote a third of the New Testament grew up.
Day 2: Antioch on the Orontes
We drive south to Antakya, ancient Antioch, the third-largest city of the Roman Empire and the true headquarters of the early Gentile mission. This is where Barnabas brought Paul to teach, where the believers were first called Christians, and where the Holy Spirit set the two of them apart for the first missionary journey. Every one of Paul’s journeys launched from here and reported back here.
The Church of St. Peter, a cave church cut into the mountainside, is traditionally one of the earliest Christian meeting places anywhere, with an escape tunnel cut into the rock for the days when gathering as a Christian was dangerous. The Hatay Archaeology Museum holds one of the finest Roman mosaic collections in the world, floors that the believers of Antioch would have walked across in their own daily lives. Standing here, your group understands that the mission did not start in Rome or Jerusalem. It was organized from this city. Every journey Paul took began with the Antioch church laying hands on him and sending him out, and every journey ended with him coming back to report. This is the home base of the entire New Testament missionary enterprise.
Group leader note: The Antakya region was hit hard by the 2023 earthquakes and continues to rebuild. We confirm site access and lodging close to travel dates, and we will be honest with you if any single stop needs adjusting.
Day 3: Travel to Pisidian Antioch
A travel day with purpose. We move northwest toward the region of Pisidia, tracing the route of the first journey. Pisidian Antioch (near modern Yalvac) is where Paul delivered the long synagogue sermon recorded in Acts 13, his first major recorded address. When the Jewish leaders pushed back, Paul turned to the Gentiles here, a hinge moment for the whole mission.
The ruins sit on a hillside and include the remains of the synagogue area, a Roman aqueduct, and a church later built over the site. Reading Acts 13 standing in the ancient city, where Paul said “we turn to the Gentiles,” gives a group the weight of that turning point.
Day 4: Toward the Aegean and Laodicea
We drive west toward the Aegean coast, the heart of Paul’s third journey. On the way, the ruins of Laodicea make a strong stop. Paul wrote to the Colossians that he wanted his letter read in Laodicea too, and the church there appears again in Revelation. The excavated main streets, the stadium, and the church ruins are extensive and walkable.
We settle for the night near the coast, positioned for the two biggest days of the trip.
Day 5: Ephesus
This is the centerpiece. Paul spent close to three years in Ephesus, longer than anywhere else on his journeys, and the city he knew is remarkably well preserved. Your group walks the marble street, the terraced houses, the Library of Celsus, and the great theater that held 25,000, the exact place where the silversmiths started the riot in Acts 19 chanting “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians.”
Give Ephesus the full day. This is where Paul taught daily in the hall of Tyrannus, where the seven sons of Sceva tried and failed to copy his work, where his letters to the Ephesians and to Timothy connect. A group that reads Acts 19 on site never reads it the same way again.
Group leader note: Ephesus is exposed and scorching from June to September. We go early in the morning during summer. Hats, water, and good shoes. Tell your people before you leave the hotel.
Day 6: Miletus and the Aegean Coast
Miletus, south of Ephesus, is where Paul stopped on his way back to Jerusalem and called the Ephesian elders to meet him. His farewell speech in Acts 20, where he says “I know that none of you will see my face again,” is one of the most emotional passages in his story. The great theater at Miletus still stands, and reading that farewell in the place it was spoken closes the Aegean chapter of the trip with real feeling.
The afternoon is lighter. Time on the coast, a chance for the group to absorb the week before the journey home. After six days of intense ground, that breathing room matters.
Day 7: Departure
We transfer the group to the airport, usually Izmir, for the flight home. We handle the logistics so your last morning is calm rather than chaotic.
Why Start in Turkey Instead of Greece
If your congregation has already done Greece, or if you want the missionary story from its origin, Turkey is where it begins. Tarsus and Antioch are simply not on a Greece itinerary, and they are the foundation of everything that followed. Some leaders pair the two countries into a single longer journey, which is exactly what our two-week Turkey and Greece heritage itinerary is built for. If you want Revelation rather than the missionary journeys, the 10-day Seven Churches itinerary covers that thread instead.
One thing worth factoring in as you plan: with Heritage Tours, the group leader travels free when you bring fifteen or more participants. For a pastor building a congregation trip, that shapes the budget from the start.
FAQ: Footsteps of Paul in Turkey
Where in Turkey did the apostle Paul actually go? Paul was born in Tarsus in southern Turkey and launched all his missionary journeys from Antioch on the Orontes. His travels through Asia Minor included Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, Lystra, Derbe, Ephesus, Miletus, and the Lycus Valley cities. Much of what we call his “Greek” mission actually began and was organized on Turkish soil.
Is a Footsteps of Paul trip in Turkey better than Greece? They tell different parts of the same story. Turkey holds the beginning: Paul’s birthplace, the launch city of Antioch, and his longest stay at Ephesus. Greece holds the European chapters. If you want the origin of the mission, start in Turkey. If you want both, a combined two-week itinerary covers the full arc.
Can seven days really cover Paul’s footsteps in Turkey? Seven days covers the essential southern and Aegean route at a focused pace: Tarsus, Antioch, Pisidian Antioch, and the Ephesus region. It does leave out the full inland circuit of Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe. For groups who want those too, we extend the trip to ten or eleven days.
How much walking does a Pauline Turkey itinerary involve? A fair amount. Ephesus alone is a few hours of walking on marble and stone, and several sites sit on hillsides. The pace is manageable for most groups with planning, but we structure the days around the people you bring and make sure no one is left out of the important moments.
Is southern Turkey safe for church groups right now? We monitor conditions closely and confirm every site and hotel near travel dates, especially in the Antakya region still rebuilding from the 2023 earthquakes. We will always tell you honestly if a stop needs adjusting, and we build the itinerary around what is genuinely accessible.
If you are starting to picture this journey for your congregation, I would love to help you build it. The route is real, the sites are open, and the missionary story finally has its beginning when you start in Turkey. See how we run these trips on our Turkey heritage page or learn how the group experience works on our group heritage tours page.
Contact us whenever you are ready to start planning.